Spear packing apparatus

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR LONGITUDINALLY SEGMENTIZING CUCUMBERS AND PACKING THE SEGMENTS IN A JAR WITH THE SEEDED SURFACES OF THE SEGMENTS FACING OUTWARD IS CONSTRUCTED WITH MEANS FOR RECEIVING A WHOLE CUCUMBER AND CUTTING SAME TO PREDETERMINED LENGTH. THE PREDETERMINED LENGTH OF CUCUMBER IS SLIT LONGITUDINALLY INTO SPEARS OF SEGMENTAL CROSS SECTION THAT ARE FED THROUGH INDIVIDUAL TWISTED CHUTES AND EXIT THEREFROM INTO A JAR WITH THE SEEDED SURFACES OF THE SEGMENTS FACING OUTWARD. GUIDE MEANS AT THE EXIT ENDS OF THE TWISTED CHUTES DIRECTS THE SEGMENTS OUTWARD TOWARD THE JAR WALL. THEREAFTER THE GUIDE MEANS AND THE JAR ARE ANGULARLY STEPPED SO THAT ADDITIONAL SPEAR SEG-   MENTS ENTERING THE JAR ARE DIRECTED BETWEEN THOSE SEGMENTS PREVIOUSLY PLACED IN THE JAR.

Dec. 25, 1973 a. c. EISENBERG Re. 27,852

SPEAR PACKING APPARATUS 9 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 26. 1970 wmm w 5 a m u E E Z V Z 9 Sheets-Sheet 2 1973 a. c. EISENBERG SPEABPACKING APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 26 1970 Dec. 25, 1973 B. c.EISENBERG Re. 27,852

SPEAK PACKING APPARATUS 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Oct. 26, 1970 INVENTOR 5197/1050? 5 KAR /V34??? Dec. 25, 1973 B. c. EISENBERG Re.27,852

SPBAR PACKING APPARATUS Ongina] Filed Oct. 26, 1970 9 Sheets-Sheet A I NVEN TOR BER/144% .6" 47525751.??6

Dec. 25, 1973 B. c. EISENBERG Re. 27,852

SPEAR PACKING APPARATUS 9 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Oct 26, 1970Dec. 25, 1973 B. c EISENBERG 27,352

SIBAR PACKING APPARATUS 9 Sheets-Sheet Original Filed Oct. 26, 1970 Dec.25, 1973 B. c. EISENBERG 27,352

TIPRAR PACKING APPARATUS 9 Sheets-Sheet '7 Umginal Filed Oct. 26, 197030&

INVENTOR. BER/V46 0 1T f/JE/VEEFG Dec. 25, 1973 B. c. EISENBERG Re.27,852

SPEAR PACKING APPARATUS Original Filed Oct. 26, 1970 9 Sheets-Sheet 8E13. fl/y; 3 1 6? 3445 J IE 15. BY

9 Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed Oct. 26, 1970 United States Patent OficeRe. 27,852 Reissued Dec. 25, 1973 27,852 SPEAR PACKING APPARATUS BernardC. Eisenberg, Rockaway, N.J., assignor to Solbern Corp., Fairfield, NJ.

Original No. 3,662,518, dated May 6, 1972, Ser. No. 83,868, Oct. 26,1970. Application for reissue Nov. 29, 1972, Ser. No. 310,390

Int. Cl. B65b 63/00 U.S. Cl. 53-123 14 Claims Matter enclosed in heavybrackets appears in the original patent but forms no part of thisreissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additionsmade by reissue.

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for longitudinally segmentizingcucumbers and packing the segments in a jar with the seeded surfaces ofthe segments facing outward is constructed with means for receiving awhole cucumber and cutting same to predetermined length. Thepredetermined length of cucumber is slit longitudinally into spears ofsegmental cross section that are fed through individual twisted chutesand exit therefrom into a jar with the seeded surfaces of the segmentsfacing outward. Guide means at the exit ends of the twisted chutesdirects the segments outward toward the jar wall. Thereafter the guidemeans and the jar are angularly stepped so that additional spearsegments entering the jar are directed between those segments previouslyplaced in the jar.

In one embodiment of this invention, after the jar wall is lined withspear segments the guide means is withdrawn from the jar and additionalspears are placed in the central region of the jar by hand.

In another embodiment of this invention, the guide means is selectivelyoperated to a collapsed and an expanded condition. The jar wall is linedwith spears while the guide means is expanded, and after the jar wall islined with spear segments the guide means is collapsed and additionalspear segments entering the jar remain at the central region to fill thejar without interfering with the spear segments lining the jar Wall.

This invention relates to automatic packaging apparatus for insertinglongitudinally segmentized spears into a glass container, with cut orseeded surfaces of the spears facing the side Wall of the container.

Process pickles are prepared by packing clean cucumbers and appropriatechemicals in sealed containers and subjecting the packed sealedcontainers to heat for a sufficient period of time to kill bacteria andbring about the desired chemical reaction. Such pickles are usuallypackaged in jars either as Whole cucumbers, as disc-like slices, or asspears formed by longitudinally slitting cucumbers into so-calledsegmentized spears. Marketwise, it is preferable to package segmentizedspears so that the cut or seeded surfaces, rather than the skinned oruncut surfaces, face the side wall of the jar. In the prior art, for themost part, this type of packaging was performed entirely by a tedioushand operation which added significantly to the cost of the finishedproduct.

Prior art apparatus to automatically pack segmentized spears with theirseeded surfaces facing outward is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No.3,468,098 issued Sept. 23, 1969 for Spear Packing Apparatus. Briefly,such patent discloses apparatus for pushing cucumbers, cut topredetermined length, through segmentizing knives and twisting chutesinto a jar disposed at the exit end of the chutes. The mouth of the jaris smaller than the body thereof, and in order to direct the segmentizedspears against the jar wall, the jar together with the pusher means, theknife means, and the twisted chutes are rotated to establish centrifugalforces acting on the segmented spears to drive them against the wall ofthe jar.

Operation of this type of apparatus has proven generally to besatisfactory. However, under some conditions there is a tendency for thesegmental spears to skew, so that segmental spears previously placed inthe jar interfere with segmental spears entering the jar thereafter. Inaddition, the provision of bearings and other mountings for the rotatingparts and the provision of means for keying a downwardly moving pusherwith rotating knives involves considerable expense. Thus, the apparatusof the instant invention is constructed so that there is no need to relyupon centrifugal forces for placement of the segmental spears.

Briefly, the apparatus of the instant invention includes the same knifemeans, twisted chutes, and pusher means as in my aforesaid U.S. Pat. No.3,468,098. The knife means and twisted chutes are stationary, while thepusher means merely moves vertically and is not required to rotate. Inone embodiment of this invention a guide means at the exit end of thetwisted chutes is operable to an expanded or extended position fordirecting segmental spears outward the jar wall. The segmental spearsproduced from the first cucumber are not sufficient to cover the entirejar wall, so that the jar is stepped angularly to place unoccupiedportions of the jar wall in position to receive segmental spears fromthe next cucumber. After a layer of spears covers the jar wall, theguide means is permitted to collapse so that additional segmental spearsentering thereafter rest at the center of the jar.

In another embodiment of this invention, a non-collapsible guide meansis utilized to direct segmental spears outward against the jar wall.This guide means is provided with pockets equal in number to twice thenumber of segments formed by each operation of the pusher means, andupon angular stepping of the guide means and jar appropriate guide meanspockets guide the spears from the chutes to desired positions along thejar wall.

Accordingly, a primary object of the instant invention is to providenovel means for automatically packing segmental spears with the cutsurfaces thereof facing outward.

Another object is to provide apparatus of this type having a pluralityof pockets and means to angularly step the pockets so that selected onesthereof are used for guide purposes each time a cucumber is segmentizedand the segments thereof placed in the jar.

Still another object is to provide apparatus of this type utilizing anexpandable and collapsible guide for directing the segmental spears topredetermined positions in the ar.

Yet another object is to provide apparatus of this type in which the jaris stepped during the filling operation so that portions of the jar wallunoccupied by segmental spears are positioned to receive other segmentalspears entering the jar.

A further object is to provide apparatus of this type in which theextendable and collapsible guide means is an umbrellalike structure.

A still further object is to provide apparatus of this type in which theexpandable and collapsible guide means includes a fluid inflatablebladder.

These objects as well as other objects of this invention will becomereadily apparent after reading the following description of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a four-gang apparatus constructed inaccordance with teachings of the instant invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of one section of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view, partially sectioned, showing selectedportions of the elements of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the pusher means taken through line 4-4 of FIG.3, looking in the direction of arrows 4-4.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the segmentizing knives looking in thedirection of arrows 55 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a hoizontal cross section taken through lines 66 of FIG. 3,looking in the direction of arrows 66, showing the cross section of theguide chutes at a point intermediate the end thereof.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the exit end of the guide chute of FIG. 1relative to a jar being filled.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the operating mechanism for the extendableor expandable guide that direct segmental spears in the jar.

FIG. 8A as a vertical cross section taken through the center of a jar,looking in the direction of arrows 8A, 8A of FIG. 8, and showing the jarsupport and stripper elements.

FIG. 8B is a plan view of the elements of FIG. 8A.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are side elevations showing operation of the extendableguide means in greater details than in FIG. 8. In FIG. 9A the guidemeans is extended, and in FIG. 9B the guide means is collapsed.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the relation between the guide means andthe segmental spears, packed in a jar.

FIG. 11 is a side elevation illustrating another embodiment of the guidemeans, comprising an inflatable bladder.

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective, illustrating a further embodiment ofthe guide means.

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of the elements of FIG. 12 ['11].

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 are plan views of the elements of FIG. 13 [12]looking in the direction of the respective arrows 14, 14, 15, 15 and 16,16.

FIG. 17 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating the manner in whicha spear is guided into place in the jar during the first down stroke ofthe pusher means.

FIG. 17A is a fragmentary plan view of the elements of FIG. 17.

FIG. 18 is a fragmentary side elevation, showing the elements of FIG.17, repositioned to guide a spear into place in the jar during thesecond down stroke of the pusher means.

FIG. 18A is a fragmentary plan view of the elements of FIG. 18.

Now referring to the figures, and more particularly to the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-10. Automatic filling apparatus of the instant inventionincludes product feed conveyor 15 having a plurality of transverselyextending pockets 16 into which operator 17 inserts whole cucumbers 18,forcing the left end thereof against barrier 19 which extends along theupwardly inclined loading flight for conveyor 15. The right ends ofcucumbers 18 extend beyond the right end of each pocket 16, and asconveyor 15 moves in the direction of arrow A past rotating slitterblade 21, the excess length tip 18a is removed to produce spears 22 ofpredetermined length that are delivered to four-gang packet 25.

Packer 25 consists of four essentially identical units 31-34,mechanically tied together for simultaneous operation. Apparatus 25 isconstructed with four packing units, since a single operator 17 mayconveniently fill pockets 16 fast enough to satisfy a four-gang unit.Since each of the packing units 31-34 is substantially identical,hereinafter for the most part only the construction of packing unit 31will be referred to. Apparatus 25 includes double acting cylinder 36mounted to member 37 for operating horizontal tie bar 38 up and down.

Pusher means 40, including five assemblies of metal thread 25t and aplurality of plastic bead-like elements 25b, is mounted to tie bar 38for movement thereby. Downward movement of tie bar 38 drives the lowerend of pusher means 40 into hopper 41 through the upper end thereof, andin so doing drives spear 22 in hopper 41 through segmentizing knives 42(FIG. 5) at the bottom of hopper 41, and drives the segmental spears 22aformed by knives 42 through the array of five twisted chutes 43 into jar44 supported on platform 45. Hopper 41 and twisted chute array 43 arefixedly connected end to end, and the combination of hopper 41 and array43 extend between stationary frame members 46, 47 and are fixedlysecured thereto.

Each spear 22 is centered in hopper 41 by two sets of rollers 101, 102,which project through openings 103, 104 respectively, in the sides ofhopper 41 to engage the sides of spear 22. The five hollers 102 of theupper set are freely mounted on pin to the lower end of bifurcated crank106 between the arms thereof. A midportion of crank 106 is pivoted atpins 107 to outboard extensions of hopper 41. The ends of pins 107 arekeyed to bevel gears 108, 109, which engage bevel gears keyed to pivotpins adjacent cranks 106. Torison springs (not shown) mounted on pins107 bias rollers 102 inward.

Each crank 106 is provided with upwardly extending nose 111 engageableby means (not shown) when plunger or pusher 40 is raised, to moverollers 102 radially away from the center of hopper 41. Theinterconnection of all rollers 102 by gears 108, 109 assures that wheels102 are always equally spaced from the axis extending through the center42a of knives 42. Mountings and interconnections for lower wheels 101are identical to these elements for wheels 102. However, the cranks forlower wheels 101 are not provided with extensions similar to 111, sothat lower wheels 101 are always forced radially inward.

Empty jars 44 arrive at apparatus 25 on input conveyor 48, and afterfilling thereof jars 44 are taken away on take-off converyor 49. Inparticular, support 45, pivotally mounted to the upper end of rod 51extending upward from tie bar 52, is operated vertically by doubleacting cylinder 53. With support 45 operated to its lowered position bycylinder 53, operation of double acting cylinder 54 to drive extension56 of tie bar 55 in the direction of arrow B moves an empty jar 44 frominput conveyor 48 on to support 45, and in so doing the empty jar 44pushes a full jar from support 45 and delivers the full jar to takeoffconveyor 49. Thereafter cylinder 53 is operated to raise support 45, sothat the upper part of jar 44 fits firmly against resilient collar 57asecured to ring 57b located at the exit end of twisted chute array 43.

For a reason to be explained hereinafter, ring 57b is locked to plate 57by snap ring 570 (FIGS. 8-8B), so that ring 57b is pivotable in theplane thereof. Plate 57 is slidably mounted on vertical rods 211, 212,which extend between frame members 47 and 147. Tension springs 213, 214engage plate 57 from below, biasing the latter downward to maintain agood seal between jar 44 and resilient collar 57a. Adjustable stops 215,216 on the respective posts 211, 212 limit downward movement of plate57, so that with support 45 in its lowermost position the upper edge ofjar 44 is below ring 57b.

The individual chutes 60 of array 43 are twisted from one end to theother, so that each segmental spear 22a is rotated to a position where acut or seeded surface thereof faces outward as spears 22a leave chutearray 43. It is desired that the segmental spears 22a forming the outerlayer of material within jar 44 will remain in this position. Thus,extendable guide means 65 is provided at the lower end of twisted chutearray 43.

Guide means 65 (FIGS. 9A and 9B) is an umbrellalike structure, whichextends into jar 44 when jar support platform 45 is in its raisedposition. Guide means 65 ineludes a plurality of ribs 66 hinged tocollar 67 and extending outwardly therefrom. Flexible sheet member 68 isconnected to the plurality of ribs 66 to provide a generally conicalguide surface when ribs 66 are operated to their extended positions ofFIG. 9A. Operating rod 69 is axially movable through a central bore incollar 67. Cam 71, slidably mounted to rod 69 near the lower endthereof, is engageable with ribs 69 to extend the latter when rod 69 isin its raised position of FIG. 9A. Rod 69 is raised and lowered bydouble acting cylinder 71 (FIG.

8), driving through link 72, and crank 73, with movement of link 72being guided by link 74 pivoted on stationary shaft 75. With guide means65 in its extended or expanded position of FIG. 9A, as segmented spears22a enter jar 44 the lower ends thereof are deflected radially outwardor toward the inner surface of jar 44. The edge of the guide surfaceformed by sheet member 68 remains firmly in engagement with segmentalspears 22a through the yielding action of coiled compression spring 76wound about the lower end or rod 69 and interposed between cam 71 andnut 77.

As best seen in FIG. 10, the side wall of jar 44 is extensive enough toaccommodate ten segmental spears 22a, yet only five such spears 22a areformed each time pusher assembly 40 moves through a down stroke. Thus,starting with empty jar 44, on the first down stroke of plunger assembly40 there will be spaces between those segmental spears 22a that areplaced in jar 44. To position these spaces to receive the next group ofsegmental spears 22a inserted in jar 44, prior to the next down strokeof plunger 40, double acting cylinder 86 (FIG. 8) is actuated to stepresilient collar 57a and guide means 65 angularly through 180 divided bythe number of chutes in array 43. Thus, in the construction illustrated,collar 57a and guide means 63 are pivoted through a 36 step. Jar 44,being on raised platform 45 in firm frictional engagement with collar57a, also pivots in a 36' step.

More particularly, when operating rod 86a of cylinder 86 is retractedfrom the position of FIG. 8, rod 86a acts through crank 87, 88 centrallypivoted at 87a, and link 89 to pivot plate 57b and resilient collar 57asecured thereto. Link 89 is connected at pin 88a to the end of crank 87,88 remote from cylinder 86, and is connected at pin 89a and clevis 89bto collar bearing plate 57b. Movement of link 89, being in a verticalplane that does not pass through the center of plate 57b, causespivoting of collar 57a and jar 44, in frictional engagement with collar57a.

Connecting rod 201 joints the lower end of link 202 to crank 87, 88 andpin 203 pivotally mounts link 202 at its upper end. Links 73, 202 arepivotally connected at their centers by pin 73a and extend generally atright angles to one another. Thus, when the bottom end of rod 202 movesthrough the operation of cylinder 86, link 73 moves generally parallelto the length thereof and acts through crank connection 205 at the upperend of rod 69 to pivot the latter, thereby pivoting guide means 65.

After a substantially complete layer of segmental spears 22a is formedagainst the wall of jar 44, guide means operating rod 69 is moveddownward to the position shown in FIG. 9B. This permits guide means 65to collapse as the next group of segmental spears 22a is forced into jar44, so that this last group of spears 22a remains at the center of jar44 and does not interfere with the segmental spears 22a lining the wallof jar 44.

While jar support 45 is being lowered through the operation of cylinder53, springs 213, 214 pull plate 57 downward against stops 215, 216 andafter plate 57 ceases to move, filled jar 44 continues to move downwardto a point below ring 57b, with the weight of loaded jar 44 beingsufficient to separate jar 44 from collar 57a.

Operation of apparatus consists of the following operations:

( 1) Jar support 45 is lowered by cylinder 53, and cylinder 54 isactuated so that pusher 56 delivers an empty jar 44 to support 45 and inso doing such empty jar 44 pushes or delivers a full jar from support 45to takeoff conveyor 59. Thereafter, support 45 is raised to raise plate57 and plae an empty jar 44 in position adjacent the bottom of twistedchute assembly 43, with diverter plate array and guide means support 91extending into the upper end of jar 44.

(2) Adjacent packing units 31-34 being spaced apart by five times thecenter-to-center distance of adjacent pockets 16, conveyor 15 is thenstepped by a distance equal to four times the space between adjacentpockets 16, and plunger assembly 40 is raised.

(3) Segmental spears 22a are ejected from selective pockets 16 byoperating power cylinder 81 to pivot shaft 82 and operate arm 83 tosweep through selected pocket 16 and remove spears 22a therefrom. Theseremoved spears 22a are guided by slides 84 into hopper 41 at the upperend thereof.

(4) Guide means 65 is expanded by operating cylinder 71.

(5) Plunger assembly 40 is lowered to drive a group of five segmentalspears 22a into jar 44, and then assembly 40 is moved upward andwithdrawn from hopper 41.

(6) Cylinder 86 is operated to angularly step jar 44 and expanded guide65 through an angle of 36.

(7) Steps 2, 3 and 5 above are repeated in sequence.

(8) Cylinder 71 is operated to collapse guide means 65, as in FIG- 9B,and steps 2, 3 and 5 above are repeated in sequence.

(9) Cylinder 86 is operated to restore jar support 45 to its angularposition of steps 1-5 above, and steps 1-5 above are repeated insequence.

(10) Steps 6, 7 and 8 above are repeated in sequence.

(11) Steps 9 and 10 above are repeated in sequence over and over again.

In the embodiment of FIG. 11, guide means consists of inflatable bladder97 of plastic or rubber material reinforced with fabric so that bladder97 assumes a predetermined shape when infiated. Hollow tube 96 connectedto the top of bladder 97 provides a conduit through which pressurizedfluid enters and leaves bladder 97 for actuation and decatuationthereof.

The embodiment of the guide means illustrated in FIGS. 12-l8A isintended for operation in which the spears are automatically placed in asingle layer against the jar wall, and additional spears are placedinside of this layer, manually, in random fashion. In particular, guidemeans 300 of FIGS. 10-18A comprises stationary section 301 and movablesection 302. The latter is pivotally mounted for angular to-and-frostepping by the same means that operates link 89 to pivot jar 44.

Stationary section 301 includes mounting ring 305 fixedly secured tostationary frame member 47 in position with the spaces between fins 304extending radially inward from ring 303 to tubular hub 307 through whichrod 69 extends. Each fin 304 is positioned in alignment with the chutesides at the exit openings of twisted chutes 60. Five spring deflectors305 secured to ring 303 and equally spaced thereabout extend into thespaces between fins 304 for a reason to be hereinafter explained. Anindividual sheet metal element 306, secured to each of the fins 304, isflared at its lower end 306a away from its associated fin 304 to formspace 306b, for a reason to be hereinafter explained.

The lower ends 304a of fins 304 are entered into tightly fitting radialslots 309 in the upper surface of nylon block 310 to frictionally retainblock 310 in operative engagement with fins 304. Block 310 is providedwith five vertical notches 311, each having slanting surface 312, which,as will hereinafter be explained, deflects a spear outwardly toward theinner wall of the jar. Operating rod 69 also extends through centralbore 314 of block 310 aligned with tube 307.

Movable section 302 is secured to the lower end of rod 69, so as to bepivoted thereby. Section 302 includes five circularly arrangedvertically extending rigid fingers 323, secured to the outer surface ofshort cylindrical block 324 and extending upwardly along the side ofblock 310. Also secured to block 324 are five resilient fingers 325,which extend upwardly along the side of block 310 and above the upperends of fingers 323. Each resilient finger 325 is located in the spacebetween two adjacent rigid fingers 323, and is spaced midway betweenthem.

Upper end 325a of finger 325 is deflected in the direction in whichsection 302 will pivot prior to the second stroke of the pusher meanswhen providing spears for the same jar. Upper end 325a of finger 325extends into space 306b so as to engage fins 304 and members 306 and bedeflected thereby to the positions illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 16. Moreparticularly, during the first downward stroke of pusher means 40, guidemeans section 302 occupies the position shown in FIG 15, with the upperend 325a of resilient finger 325 being deflected to the left withrespect to the bottom end thereof, which is fixedly secured to block324. In this position of movable section 302, the pocket formed betweenspring finger 325 and rigid finger 323 immediately to the right thereofis positioned to receive and guide segmental spear 330 as it movesthrough a pocket 311 in block 310, being deflected outwardly by blocksurface 312 and being deflected circularly toward block surface 312a byspring 305.

When the lower end of spear 330 reaches the bottom of jar 44, movablesection 302 and jar 44 are angularly stepped in a clockwise directionwith respect to FIG. 17A to the position of FIG. 18A. In this latterposition, upper end 325a of spring finger 325 engages fin 304, to bedeflected to the right with respect to the lower end of finger 325. Onthe next downstroke of pusher means 40, spear 331 moves through and isguided by the pocket formed by resilient finger 325 and rigid finger 323immediately to the left thereof. In this manner, the five spears 331 areplaced against the inner wall of jar 44 in the spaces between the otherfive spears 330'.

After the second down-stroke of pusher means 40 in a sequence, jar 44 islowered and moved out from under guide means 300. At this point the tenspears 330 and 331 form a single layer against the interior wall or jar44. The core portion of jar 44 is then filled with spears inserted inrandom fashion, either manually or by automatic or semi-automatic means(not shown).

In view of the disclosure of my aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,468,098 andthe present state-of-the-art, the sequential controller and itsassociated switches for automatic control of the apparatus previouslydescribed herein is not shown or described.

Although there have been described preferred embodiments of this novelinvention, many variations and modifications will now be apparent tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, this invention is to be limited notby the specific disclosure herein but only by the appending claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive privilege orproperty is claimed are defined as follows.

1. Apparatus for slicing elongated articles longitudinally into spearshaving segmental cross sections and inserting these spears lengthwiseinto a transparent container with cut edges of these spears lyingagainst the container side wall; said apparatus including a hopperhaving an open upper end to receive an elongated article having its axisgenerally vertical, knife means including upwardly facing cutting meansat the bottom of said hopper, first means, operating means for movingsaid first means from an inactive position withdrawn from said hopperdownwardly into said hopper to drive an article therein through saidknife means, second means positioned below said knife means to receivespears formed thereby and guide each of such spears through independentlimited controlled angular movement, third means for positioning anelongated transparent container with its open end below said secondmeans to receive spears issuing therefrom, guide means extending into acontainer supported by said third means in a spear receiving positionbelow said second means, said guide means being operatively constructedto direct spears entering a container supported by said third meanstoward the side wall of such container, driving means for moving atleast a section of said guide means and a container supported by saidthird means through a controlled angular step occurring between firstand second successive operations of said operating means to said activeposition, whereby spears formed by the second operation of saidoperating means to said active posiion are directed to occupy spacesformed between adjacent spears formed during the first operation of saidoperating means to said active position.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, in which the guide means includesa guide portion operable between expanded and collapsed positions, saidguide portion when expanded directing spears toward the side wall of acontainer supported by said third means and when in collapsed positiondirecting spears to the central region of such containers.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which the guide portion isconstructed of sheet material having an outwardly and downwardly flaringsection.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which there is a collapsiblemechanical support for operating the sheet material from the collapsedposition to the expanded position of the guide portion.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, in which the flaring section isgenerally conical.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, in which the second meanscomprises a plurality of vertically extending elongated chutes eachhaving a twist therein, said knife means including a plurality ofradially extending blade sections and each of said chutes being ofgenerally segmental cross section with the twist therein beingsubstantially less than 180, said angular step being equal toapproximately 180 divided by the number of said chutes.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which the sheet materialdefines a bladder, fluid means for expanding said bladder to operatesaid guide portion to said expanded position.

8. Apparatus as set forth in claim 5, in which the sheet materialdefines a bladder, fluid means for expanding said bladder to operatesaid guide portion to said expanded position.

9. Apparatus as set forth in claim 7, in which the second meanscomprises a plurality of vertically extending elongated chutes eachhaving a twist therein, said knife means including a plurality ofradially extending blade sections and each of said chutes being ofgenerally segmental cross section with the twist therein beingsubstantially less than 180, said angular step being equal toapproximately 180 divided by the number of said chutes.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which there is a biasing meanswhich operates to urge the guide portion toward its extended position;said biasing means positioned to permit partial collapse of said guideportion by segmental spears being forced by the first means into a jarsupported by the third means.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim I in which the guide means includesa stationary section and a movable seclion, said movable section beingthat section previously recited as being angularly stepped by saiddriving means, said movable section including a plurality of verticallyextending circularly arranged fingers spaced to form pocketsthercbetween, said pockets being equal in number to twice the number ofspears formed by a single operation of said operating means to saidactive position.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 11 in which alternate ones of saidfingers are rigid and the remainder of said fingers are flexible, saidstationary section having formotions to control deflection of saidflexible fingers when said movable section is stepped by said drivingmeans so that spears are directed to alternate ones of said pockets uponsaid first operation of said operating means and 10 the remaining onesof said pockets upon said second operation of said operating means.

13. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12, in which the second meanscomprises a plurality of vertically extending elongated chutes eachhaving a twist therein, said knife means including a plurality ofradially extending blade sections and each of said chutes being ofgenerally segmental cross-section with the twist therein beingsubstantially less than 180 degrees, said angular step being equal toapproximately 180 degrees divided by the number of said chutes.

14. Apparatus as set forth in claim 12 in which said flexible fingersare substantially longer than said rigid fingers and the upper ends ofthe former extend substantially above the upper ends of the latter.

References Cited The following references, cited by the Examiner, are

10 UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1969 Lane et a1. 53123 9/1969 Eisenberg 53123U.S. Cl. X.R.

